Artwork
Hercules with Omphale
Hercules with Omphale is a paint painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Lucas Cranach the Younger. It dates from 1535 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1535 by Lucas Cranach the Younger, this oil painting portrays the Greek hero Heracles in the company of the Lydian queen Omphale.
Created in 1535 by Lucas Cranach the Younger, this oil painting portrays the Greek hero Heracles in the company of the Lydian queen Omphale. Executed in the Northern Renaissance idiom, the work combines meticulous figuration with a vivid palette, set against a dark backdrop that accentuates the bright costumes of the figures. The composition is part of the collection of Denmark’s Statens Museum for Kunst.
Subject & Meaning
The scene illustrates a moment from the myth in which Heracles, having been compelled to serve Omphale, is shown wearing women’s attire while the queen’s attendants attend to him. This role reversal, a popular motif in Renaissance art, underscores themes of power inversion, humility, and the playful subversion of heroic masculinity.
Technique & Style
Cranach the Younger employs a clear, linear drawing style characteristic of the German Renaissance, with careful attention to the texture of fabrics and the gleam of metal objects. The contrast between the dark background and the saturated reds and blacks of the clothing creates a dramatic visual emphasis, while the coat of arms in the left foreground anchors the work within a courtly context.
History & Provenance
After its completion, the painting entered the collections of various European patrons before being acquired by the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on display. Its attribution to Cranach the Younger is supported by stylistic analysis linking it to his workshop’s output in the mid‑sixteenth century.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Lucas Cranach the Younger (German: Lucas Cranach der Jüngere, IPA: ; 4 October 1515 – 25 January 1586) was a German Renaissance painter and portraitist, the son of Lucas Cranach the Elder and brother of Hans Cranach.
